I Can Hear Her Singing
by Eliza G
Summary: Abbess Matilda has passed away, and the temple in Gato will choose a new one soon. Daena, however, is going through her own emotional choices regarding herself and the changes being made to the temple. (Reviews are VERY appreciated)
1. New Winds

I can hear her singing **Prologue**

    The precarious cliffs of the Gato Grottoes after dark were alarmingly dangerous, especially after nightfall. Indeed, not many came this way at all, even in the daytime, for it was not usually in one's desire to fall to their death upon the stormy waters and jagged rocks below.

    There, however, was one exception to this rule. Daena was a monk-soldier with feline blood. Her eyesight in the dark was sharper than it was in the daytime. Her agility was unsurpassed by any of the other protectors of the temple.

    Daena had never flaunted these advantages, but when it came to her nightly journeys out here, she was glad of them. No one else would come out here to view the ritual she performed every night.

    Daena slid gracefully across a narrow bridge of rock, then climbed down a short, but slippery sandstone wall. She jumped the rest of the way when she could finally see the ground, then walked through an archway, over which a waterfall fell. Finally, she had reached her destination.

    This terrace, providing a breathtaking view of the world around them, had evidently been created by a lightning strike. The rocks all around were riddled with long, thin, jagged outcroppings. It was the sort of shape that could be fashioned into a sword, easily. Daena, however, had no such goal. She gazed around. All was well, at her little shrine.

    Nailed down to the ground just before a sharp cliff, there was a picture of her dear friend, Matilda. It was a beautiful painting, completed when Matilda was just fifteen years of age. Her beautiful face shone in the moonlight. It was only here that it was immortalized. Matilda's elemental powers, which had enabled her to become the abbess of Gato's Temple, had been stolen from her by a demon at the age of sixteen. Void of Mana energy and her powers, she had begun to age at an alarming rate, rapidly losing strength. She refused to abandon the temple, however, just as much as she refused to gain revenge on the demon that had stolen her powers-she had been in love with him.

    Though he had loved her as well, being demonic in nature had already set his destiny. He wished to destroy the world, and was eventually killed trying. The very same day, Matilda had passed away, Daena at her side.

    Daena gazed around, at all the bouquets of flowers-she brought them here every night, tying them onto the outcroppings. There were now nearly a hundred bundles, one for each day Matilda had been dead.

    "You didn't have to die," Daena whispered, retelling the story to herself. "You could have both gone to live in the Land of the Fairies, immortalized and happy." Daena removed a leather string from her pocket and bound tonight's bouquet to the rocks. "Oh, but Matilda, you had to let Irwin be free to do as he wished… all I wanted was for you to be happy…"

    Daena knelt by the cliff, gazing down on the pictures. "And you were happy… but oh, how I wish I could have done something for you both. Done something, so that neither of you would have had to die."

    Winds blew across the little terrace, making Daena shiver. She clasped her clawed hands together, and began to whisper a prayer; it had been Matilda's favorite, and a comfort for Daena to fall asleep to as well. She thought she could remember the same words being sung to her as a lullaby, when she was young. Her eyes were closed; she could almost feel Jinn's presence as she prayed to him, for Matilda's happiness, wherever she might be.

    As she finished and stood up, another wind blew across the cliffs. It was comforting, somehow, as though the spirits understood her emotional predicament. Silently, she left that place, and made her way back across the cliffs and through the Pathways of Ascetism.

    Few lights were on in the windows in town, at this hour. Daena made her way across the roads, and through the town, until she came upon her own stone dwelling. Her home always made her feel comfortable-she had hung wind chimes and bells and ribbons from the roof's overhang, and whenever she returned, she was greeted by the gentle music.

    She opened her door and shut it, then immediately lit a tiny candle and curled up on her bed. Ever since Irwin had stolen Matilda's powers ten years ago, her life had felt radically different. Escad had been banished down to the underworld, Irwin had disappeared, and Matilda's aging had begun. Daena, however, had tried to ignore it and treat Matilda as she always did-as her older sister. She had not taken the time to think about and accept what was happening.

    Speaking to the wisdoms had not put her at rest. She could not simply just accept things as they did. She was a restless spirit, and needed closure…

    And now Matilda had died, and she had still not found peace with herself. It was not only Matilda, either-Irwin had been killed by her friend (whom Daena did not often see anymore) and Escad's death had been at her own hand.

    Daena gazed across her bedroom where her flail lay on its shelf. She never wanted to touch it again. How could she fight? The temple would simply need to find a new warrior to protect it. Daena, of course, had not yet discussed this with the temple officials. She'd tell them when she was ready. It was a time of peace, anyway, and soldiers were not needed at this time. There would be plenty of time to train other enthusiastic youths.

    And what of a new abbess? They would not simply promote one of the nuns… it didn't work that way. Another family would have to be chosen, one with a daughter who had the gifts. Daena rolled around in bed. She could not imagine anyone but Matilda holding the position. Of course, when she was younger, there had been another, but she hadn't paid much attention to her. Daena had always followed Matilda around, wanting to be the apple of her "big sister's" eye.

    Daena shut her eyes and tried to purge these thoughts from her mind. More than anything, she needed to sleep. She placed her fingers delicately on her wall, where likenesses of Jinn and Salamander-the spirits of Wind and Fire, respectively-were carved. Her own mother had carved them there, years ago.

    These spirits protect the town, Daena thought, and they provide it a comfort… but they do not provide me a comfort. Perhaps, tomorrow, I shall resign from the temple and being to wander… I shall seek all the rest of the wisdoms, in hope that I may find peace within myself…


	2. Beginning the journey

The next morning was a lovely one; the sun had risen early and cast its glowing pink hues upon the little town. From a distance, one might have thought that Gato itself was naught but a huge flame, burning brightly over the horizon.  
Daena awoke to this view of splendor and felt a little better than she had last night; for now, her soul was calm. She bustled into her small kitchen room, opened the window, and lit ten little candles on the sill. For a moment she stood there, muttering her morning prayers and letting Jinn's wind ruffle the fur on her cheeks.  
When she was finished, her sharp yellow eyes scanned the clouds carefully. "Perhaps I will be able to rest, today," she murmured. With that, she blew out the candles, closed the window, and got on with her morning routines. For breakfast, she ate what she usually did (what was left of last night's dinner-in this case, poached iffish-on buttered bread), then stepped into what she used for a bathroom and filled a small, stone tub with cold water.  
Instead of climbing in, as usual, Daena simply plunged her paws into this tub and splashed herself all over with icy water. It felt invigorating, and this was what made her feel truly awake. Once she was sopping, she took a dry, quilted towel, and scrubbed all of the water off. Next, she dressed in her usual attire-the uniform of a monk-soldier of the temple-and then, with an ivory comb, tamed her wild feline hair.  
As Daena finished studying herself in the mirror, she remembered last night-ah, yes, her quest… to seek the wisdoms, and finally find peace within herself. If she did not, it would be impossible to go on. Without the temple, Daena would have no way of supporting herself, and nothing to occupy herself with. She would simply brood away until she was no more…  
And Matilda wouldn't have wanted that for her little sister.  
Daena finally left her house, and traveled the back roads through the town (as to avoid meeting anyone; she didn't like the discomfort of happily greeting others when what she felt within herself was anything but happy.) until she reached the fork in the paths. As with every morning, a fleeting voice in her mind urged her to turn towards the terrace and hurl herself off, but Daena shook these thoughts from her mind. Suicide, she knew, would not bring her torment to peace. Better here than the Underworld.  
When she reached the temple, a nun in the front prayer room seemed to be awaiting her. "Oh, Miss Daena," she said, hurrying to the soldier's side. "We're so glad you're here. You see, there's been an important visitor by-"  
"Who?" Daena asked, immediately narrowing her eyes. A second after, she felt her reaction might have been a bit much, but it was too late now.  
"Er…" the nun said, timidly. "Well, as you know, Abbess Matilda had no successor, so we have since been seeking for a replacement…"  
"Matilda was the best abbess we've ever had!" Daena moaned. "How can they think of replacing her so soon?"  
"The temple requires it, ma'am," the nun told her, now very meek.  
Daena sighed. "It is an insult to her memory," she stated. Then, she paused. "Who is to be the new abbess?"  
The nun's face brightened a bit. "She's a little girl, about nine years old. Of course, she isn't ready to take on the duties yet, but she has the elemental powers, just as Matilda did."  
"What is her name?" Daena struggled to control the bitterness creeping into her voice. This would not do at all, to begin to hate a person she had never even met.  
"Faylinn, ma'am. Faylinn Aberforth." The nun paused once again. Daena was still making her incredibly nervous. "She cannot wait to meet you."  
Daena inhaled, then exhaled, slowly. I must keep control, she thought, I must keep control. Then Daena opened her mouth to speak. "The truth is," she said, "I cannot meet with her now. I came to tell you that I'll be leaving the temple…" Daena strugged, suddenly. She hadn't completely finished her decision! Was she leaving permanently, or not? Fumbling for words, she tried to recover. "…for awhile." She couldn't quit. The temple, Matilda or no Matilda, meant too much to her.  
"Oh?" inquired the nun. "Whatever are you leaving us for?"  
A slight breeze blew through the prayer room, and Daena felt comforted. "I must go on a spiritual journey," she explained. "My soul…is troubled. If I am to remain a monk-soldier at this temple, I must seek out the six remaining wisdoms in this world."  
The nun nodded. "I will fetch the head nun…" she said uncertainly. "You can tell her this yourself."  
Daena suddenly felt uncomfortable. The regular nuns were definitely inferior in rank to her, and she had no problem telling them of what she planned to do. The head nun, however, was second only to the abbess. Since, as of now, there was no abbess, the head nun was in charge.  
Daena found her an intimidating woman.  
"What is this," she said in her commanding tone, "I hear about you wishing to leave our temple?"  
Daena knelt before her.  
"Please, ma'am," she said, as calmly as she could. "My soul has been troubled these past three months. I-require a leave of absence. I must take a journey in body as well as spirit if I am to ease the demons inside of me."  
The look of the head nun softened considerably. "Yes…" she murmured, surprising Daena. "We all took Matilda's loss hard."  
"Yes, ma'am," Daena said, trying to control her sudden wave of emotions. "I miss her dearly. She was like my sister."  
"I do not wish to lose you as this temple's monk-soldier," the head nun said. "Daena, I hereby grant you two months away from us. I hope I am correct in assuming this will be enough time for you? We cannot be too long without our soldier, you know."  
Daena gulped. Would it be long enough for her? She needed to seek out the six wisdoms… Gaeus, Tote, and Rosiotti would be simple enough; she'd been to the first two before, and knew of Rosiotti's throne in the jungle. However, Pokhiel the poet could be anywhere…he was an avid traveler. Selva was the same way… he only seemed to appear when he wanted to. As for Olbohn, it could take quite awhile to figure out how to get into the Underworld without dying. It had been done before-Escad had done so, as had her old friend-the one who'd defeated Irwin.  
Finally, she answered. "I am grateful," she said. "I thank you."  
Daena left the temple then, and headed back home. Opening the top drawer of her oaken dresser, she packed about four changes of clothes into her leather knapsack. After that, she walked across the room and gazed at the wall.  
A map of the world was tacked there. The map was a family heirloom-some great uncle or other had been a cartographer-and it was the most exquisite Daena had ever seen. It was drawn on soft leather with dark, clear inks of black, blue, and green.  
As a child, she had been instructed never to touch it, but she felt it was important now. She could end up traveling far and wide trying to locate these wisdoms, and she was the last of her family…  
This map, she thought as she untacked it from the wall, will bring me good fortune. Daena carefully rolled it up and tied it with a red ribbon. She then tucked it into her knapsack along with everything else she had packed. Clothing, food, water, and a map. She wouldn't need anything else for a journey of the spirit, would she?  
Daena left her house and hiked down to the base of the grottoes. She turned around only once, watching her hometown glow in the midday sun. Would she ever come back? If she failed on her journey, she did not know what she would do with herself.  
Turning away and beginning her trek towards Lake Kilma, Daena decided that, no matter how long it would take, she would see the wisdoms, and free her soul-or she would die trying.  



End file.
